Sunday, August 24, 2014

$10 and a Junk Store...

Ten bucks and some kind of junk/thrift/resale/antique store and I'll have good fun and turn up some records you need. I found these walking the streets of downtown Lufkin at one of the antique consignment shops.

Left to right my finds began with the Mexican Joe release "Living Marimbas." It's from the late 1960s and I suspect that Mexican Joe was trying to coattail on some Tijuana Brass success. The music while not remarkable is not unpleasant and certainly worth collecting if for the album cover only. It's hard to find out much about this guy. Just try searching the internet for the topic "Mexican Joe." He does seem to have made Nick Difozio's Book, "Worst Album Covers Ever." Alas I gave this as a gift to my son in law Miguel and only kept a digital copy from my USB turntable for myself. Don't worry. This gem is in capable hands. I might have over paid by 99 cents for this item.

Next up is "20 Golden Moments of Hawaiin Music" by Lani Kai and his Hawaiians. Looks like this album ebays for $10. I got a deal. Lani played guitar, bass, drums and played congas in Lionel Hampton's Las Vegas Band. Plenty of good steel guitar and it's only a short step to country music from here. The only difference is which lap steel guitar strings you hit if using a C6th tuning. Hit this one you got the islands. Hit another one and you can be sure Hank done it thataway.

Last album is by the great bandleader Woody Herman and his forth Herd. Woody always called his bands the "Herd." Seems like this release which is from 1960-61 is often combined with a Herman combo called The New World and sells on Amazon for $15-$25 depending on new/used or collectible. Actually I jammed with Woody one time. It was 1972. At the halftime of a University of Houston football game a half a dozen or so high school bands of which I was in one took the field in a mass, Woody and the Herd were on an elevated stage and we all made a heck of a racket on one of his famous tunes "Woodchoppers Ball." I got this patch for my participation. I wish I had a bit of a better story about jamming with Woody but I was like sleepy or something and so the patch this is about all I have.

Also in 1972 Woody was the half time entertainment at Super Bowl VII between the Dolphins and Redskins.

Here's a late 60s clip. Looks like from the band uniforms Woody tried to keep it hip.

Scavenging records like these which are not really in collectible condition but are in good playing condition is good cheap fun. It keeps me on the streets.